In depth 1
Our in-depth guides.
-
The back story
How to choose a Greek island beach
Sand or pebbles, organised or wild, windy or sheltered: how to find the right beach.
58 of the best · Greek Islands, Greece
The best beaches in the Greek islands
White volcanic rock, golden sand, pink-tinged lagoons and coves reached by boat: our favourite beaches, island by island.
Our 58 favourites, listed A–Z · Updated October 2026
What's onThis week in Greek Islands
Insiders' picks
Three of our favourites from this list, vetted by people who know and love the Greek islands.
-
One of Europe’s finest
Agios Prokopios Beach
Fine golden sand and crystal water that stays shallow for a long way.
-
A lunar landscape
Sarakiniko
Smooth white volcanic rock sculpted into waves, around a narrow inlet of turquoise water.
-
The turquoise lagoon
Balos Lagoon
A shallow lagoon of white sand and turquoise water on the Gramvousa peninsula in the far north-west.
The full list: Beaches, A–Z
Neighbourhood
The Cyclades 38
Beaches in the Cyclades.
-
Tavernas and a path on
Agali
The most popular beach, with fish tavernas and a cliff path to Agios Nikolaos.
-
-
Friendly and sociable
Agia Anna Beach
A family-style beach with a little harbour and tavernas, continuing south towards Plaka.
-
Town beach for families
Agios Georgios
The very shallow town beach next to Naxos Town, with cafés and windsurf lessons.
-
One of Europe’s finest
Agios Prokopios Beach
Fine golden sand and crystal water that stays shallow for a long way.
-
Mykonos without the sunbeds
Agios Sostis, Mykonos
A natural north-coast beach with no sunbeds or bars on the sand, and a famous taverna on the hill.
-
Sheltered and clear
Agios Sostis, Tinos
A favourite beach with fine sand and very clear water, sheltered from the north wind.
-
Fish lunch below Oia
Ammoudi Bay
A tiny harbour of fish tavernas at the foot of Oia, with swimming off the rocks nearby.
-
-
The long, relaxed end of the south coast
Elia
One of the longest beaches on Mykonos, with soft sand and a calmer mood than Paradise.
-
Shelter on windy days
Faragas
A south-coast bay protected from the north wind, with fine sand and turquoise water.
-
Colours of the volcano
Firiplaka
Soft sand and shallow water below cliffs in shades from white to rust red.
-
Windsurf capital
Golden Beach
A long east-coast beach where the meltemi draws windsurfers and kitesurfers from around the world.
-
Wind, space and watersports
Kalafatis
A long east-coast beach where the summer wind brings windsurfers and kitesurfers.
-
The finest beach
Katergo
A spit of pebbles between two turquoise bays, reached by boat from Karavostasi.
-
Surf beach
Kolymbithra
A wide sandy bay where the north wind brings waves, with a calmer bay next door.
-
Coves among granite giants
Kolymbithres
Small sandy coves between huge, wave-smoothed granite boulders, across the bay from Naoussa.
-
-
The most beautiful beach on Ios
Manganari
Sheltered coves of fine sand and turquoise water at the southern tip.
-
Kite on one side, swim on the other
Mikri Vigla
A headland with a kitesurf beach to the north and a calmer swimming bay to the south.
-
Sheltered bay in Paros Park
Monastiri
A calm bay inside Paros Park, sheltered from the summer wind, with a beach club.
-
Everything for a beach day
Mylopotas Beach
A long golden beach with clean water, watersports and bars from end to end.
-
Warm sand, coloured rock
Paliochori
An organised beach of coloured volcanic rocks where food is cooked in the hot sand.
-
The beach that built the party legend
Paradise Beach
Golden sand and clear water by day; from late afternoon, DJs take over the beach clubs.
-
Kilometres of black sand
Perissa & Perivolos
One long volcanic-sand beach on the south-east coast, lined with beach bars and tavernas.
-
Room to breathe
Plaka Beach
A long stretch of pale sand backed by dunes, organised at one end and wild at the other.
-
Long and shallow
Platis Gialos Beach
The longest sandy beach on Sifnos, with shallow water and seafood restaurants.
-
The glamour beach
Psarou
A sheltered bay of fine sand and turquoise water, with yachts at anchor and some of the island’s most exclusive sunbeds.
-
Best seen from the viewpoint
Red Beach
A small beach under dramatic red cliffs, where access has been restricted because of rockfall risk.
-
Music and watersports
Santa Maria
A sandy east-of-Naoussa beach with watersports and beach bars that get livelier through the afternoon.
-
A lunar landscape
Sarakiniko
Smooth white volcanic rock sculpted into waves, around a narrow inlet of turquoise water.
-
Clear water in a green bay
Super Paradise
A hilly bay with some of the clearest water on the island, relaxed by day and lively by late afternoon.
-
Calm on windy days
Vathi Beach
A swimming beach in a nearly enclosed bay, with tavernas on the sand.
-
Cliffs sculpted by the wind
Vlychada
A dark-sand beach below pale cliffs of volcanic ash carved into strange shapes, next to a small marina.
Hydra & the Saronic 10
Swimming spots on Hydra and the Saronic Gulf.
-
Pines and a chapel
Agia Paraskevi
A beautiful pine-fringed bay on the west coast, with a chapel and clear water.
-
Swim into a cave
Agioi Anargyroi & Bekiris Cave
A sandy bay on the south-west coast with tavernas, and the sea cave of Bekiris nearby.
-
Easy beaches near town
Askeli & Kanali
Two organised beaches on the south coast of Kalavria, a short ride from town.
-
Pine-backed coves by boat
Beach boats & Bisti
Water taxis and summer beach boats from the harbour reach coves such as Bisti and Agios Nikolaos on the west coast.
-
Swim, then sunset
Hydronetta
A café-bar on the rocks west of the harbour, with steps into the sea and a famous sunset view.
-
Pines down to the water
Love Bay
A small cove fringed with pine trees on the west of the island, with clear water.
-
Calmer west-coast sand
Marathonas & Aiginitissa
Sandy, shallow beaches on the west coast between the town and Perdika, with tavernas.
-
Clear water by boat
Moni islet
A small wooded islet off Perdika with a pebbly beach and clear water, reached by boat in a few minutes.
-
Rock swimming by the harbour
Spilia
Swimming platforms and a bar on the rocks just beyond the harbour, below the old cannons.
-
A quiet northern cove
Zogeria
A quiet pine-backed cove in the north-west of the island, with a taverna.
Crete 4
Beaches in Crete.
-
The turquoise lagoon
Balos Lagoon
A shallow lagoon of white sand and turquoise water on the Gramvousa peninsula in the far north-west.
-
Pink-tinged sand
Elafonisi
A protected beach and islet in the south-west, with shallow water and sand tinged pink by crushed shells.
-
Palm forest by the sea
Vai
A beach in the far east of Crete backed by a natural forest of Cretan date palms.
The Dodecanese 3
Beaches in the Dodecanese.
-
A film-star cove
Anthony Quinn Bay
A small rocky bay of emerald water south of Faliraki, named after the actor who filmed here.
-
Two seas, one sandbar
Prasonisi
The southern tip of Rhodes, where a sandbar divides a calm bay from a windy one: a windsurf and kite mecca.
-
An almost enclosed lagoon
St Paul’s Bay
A tiny, nearly enclosed bay below the acropolis of Lindos, where tradition says St Paul landed.
The Ionian 2
Beaches in the Ionian.
-
Sandstone coves
Canal d’Amour
Sandstone rocks sculpted into channels and coves at Sidari in the north.
-
Golden sand on the west coast
Glyfada, Corfu
A long sandy west-coast beach below green hills, with sunbeds and sunsets.
